Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Reviews by jamiejohnson:

4.2/5 rDev +14.1%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I hold a soft spot in my heart for Pilsner Urquell because it was the beer that weaned me off the fizzy crap two decades back. I would buy ten cases at a time in my Urquell prime. Now I'll buy a twelver anytime the price is right. Urquell is what it is - the deservedly hyped icon of pilsner royalty. Michael Jackson used to comment on the brewery's soft water that left him "beckoning for another one." I have to agree - something is special about this legendary brew even if you can't pin it down. The high marks I give are out of respect. If you ever make it to Pilzen's brewery, don't miss the nearby beer museum. It's well worth it. Let's hope the conglomerate (SAB?) that now controls this classic doesn't totally destroy it in greedy fashion.

More User Reviews:

A: Straw colored with brilliant clarity and a persistent, low white head of cream bubbles.

S: A moderate grainy pils malt aroma and a light spicy noble hop aroma dominate the aroma. There is a very slight metalic aroma in the background. There is also a light bready malt aroma. No diacetyl and no esters.

T: A refreshing balance grain pils malt and moderate hops bitterness with a moderately-low noble hops flavor. The balance is somewhat bitter. There is a light pils sweetness mid palate but it resolves into a dry finish with a lingering bitterness.

M: Moderately-light bodied with a moderately-high carbonation. There is no warmth and a slight creaminess.

O: This is a good beer but a great example of the style. I wish this beer was served in abundance at the NYS Fair on a sunny, warm day like today. This is about as crisp and refreshing as a beer get while still having a great taste. (899 characters)

Fermented on oak, this benchmark beer is one of the greats. It was one of Michael Jackson's (the beer guy not the singer) all time favourite beers. I could drink this all day long.

If you don't like it, come back to this one after you've rated a few hundred beers on the site. I honestly don't think I would've liked it nearly as much when I first joined Beer Advocate and was still exploring ale styles.

All that being said, the lightstruck green bottle version does not do the tall boy can version justice. (514 characters)

I have bought this beer off and on for several decades and always wondered why it has lasted so long. The beer always had an off smell and skunky taste.

I just bought my third half liter can and can tell you this beer is amazing. I guess the long trip in the bottles was not good for the beer. If you tried this one in the past and thought it tasted off, buy it in the can and pour it into a pilsner glass. The experience is amazing. (434 characters)

Overall: Hey, it's a classic. Always have time for one of these. Why do people drink Euro crud like Stella and Heineken when this is nearly as widely available and way better for the same price? (492 characters)

its sad how in a world dominated by cheap pilsners and American lagers we cant have beer like this more often. I feel as if the pilsner market has not been taken over by the craft companies for we live in IPA world. This beer makes the soul happy, and is so refreshing. The original, the best pilsner, Pilsner Urquell. And I don't even like pilsners! (354 characters)

(Note: This is one of the new canned versions. If this were the bottle, it would be much lower, sadly)

Ah, the original pale lager. For years it's languished away in green bottles, but now it's available in 16oz cans. I've enjoyed in on tap for some time, but have avoided those green bottles like the plague. The only time I've had it in one, it was pretty much a Heineken clone.Pours a wonderful golden color. Not too light or greenish - just liquid gold.Smell is of floral noble hops, grain, and lager yeast. No off smells at all, which for an imported pils isn't something you encounter every day.Taste starts off sweet and creamy, and finishes with floral hops. Not too bitter, actually, just a nice flavor. Some other Czech brews (and German ones, too) have a hoppier bite - but this one is shockingly balanced and goes down almost too easy.It's creamy and thick, but still makes for a great all-year beer. Scrap the green bottles - these new cans provide a fresh taste that I really enjoy. Up there with Bitburger as far as imported pils goes. (1,056 characters)

L: clear gold ... surprisingly darker than I expected; even up to light it's dark enough to be gold (not pale yellow); big fat sticky head of foam, about 1 inch; clumps of the head stick to the glass, and the skin on top is amazing -- so much carbonation is rising in the column that its leaving five white spots of foam on the top layer; big collar

T: sweet light malt, yeast, bread, biscuits with a softer grassy bite that shows up as much in the dryness as it does in the taste -- what it amounts to is a hop presence that lingers with good grassy and spicy pepper notes

F: watery enough to drink but huge carbonation ... i'm sucking it down so fast, it might qualify as *too* drinkable. damn.

O: it's super dry in the finish but with so much sweet biscuit malt up front that it really stands out as a unique brew. i love that it's got a bit of color to it, a nice gold flair that continues a show of fast-rising bubbles.

if it had just a bit more hops in the nose and laced on the way down, i'd give it 5s across the board. as it is, it's fantastic. i'm glad i finally tried it. it's as good a beer as I've had in any style and a brew i guarantee will find its way into my fridge often.

This is a gorgeous beer- a beautiful saturated yellow topped by a dense creamy head. Hops and malt are evident in the nose, almost a sweet grassiness. The texture hits a perfect balance between rounded and crisp. Hops linger in the finish- clean flavors all around. It's a wonderful beer when fresh. (368 characters)

Pours a nice straw color with a nice wellretained head (looks great in a pilsner glass), high carbonation.Aroma in light and a little iron-like with some sofy bread notes.Some rather sharp hop notes in the finish of this beer it starts out a little malty sweet,a very crip and easy drinking beer.Real nice on tap as well. (321 characters)

Appearance  This one poured a clear but heavy orange in color with a good, strong, stubborn white head.

Smell  The hops are light and delicate and mate well with the smallest of grain influence. The nose here is well-balanced and nicely put together.

Taste  The delicate but firm grain mixes nicely with the traditional hops. The balance is what really makes this Pils, IMHO.

Mouthfeel  This is big, Id say a solid medium-bodied, with some light carbonation and an incredibly smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkability  This really is the standard for accessible Czech Pils here in the US. It went down wonderfully. I cant believe Im not getting a review up on the site for this guy until Jan 2005. (714 characters)

This pils poured a straw yellow with no head nor lace in my pint glass. The aromas of grain, grass, and yeast were all there with strong notions of malt. THe drink was smooth and crisp with a bit of hop finish that lingers way too long. There is a little bit of metal/rusty water in the background that is offensive, but the maltiness does keep the offensive notes in the background. Overall a bit above average and not nearly as good as it used to be when I was drinking it ten years ago. (489 characters)

Haven't had any quality lagers in years and I wanted to try this one because my brother in-law lived in Russia for a while and developed a taste for it.

A: Nice white finger head. Quickly dissipated to a thin ring and a dusting. Clear with a straw yellow gold color. Nice columns of carbonation rising. Lagers are always so inviting to look at aren't they?

S: Pretty clean. A little skunk, a little malt and a little hop. Not very bold and not that impressive. Smelled more malty during the last half of the drink.

T: Malt is a little lost. Hop seems to come through strongly. Some citrus. You are left with a very grassy sour hop finish. From half way to the end, it felt more balanced. I felt more of the malt up front and the finish seemed to simmer down.

M: Light body, crisp and well carbonated.

D: My main complaint with this beer was how aggressive the aftertaste was for the first half of the drink. I like hops but this was too much of the wrong type of acidic bitterness. Apart from that, I had no problems downing it and found it enjoyable. (1,057 characters)

When poured, this had a nice, smallish head with a slightly fruity, malty aroma. It had a nice crisp mouthfeel, smooth malty flavor with a slightly hoppy finish. I found this to be very easy drinking & thirst quenching for a warm day or after long day's work. (259 characters)

This beer went from cult status to mass-produced over the past couple of decades. Even without a recipe change, many have noted a difference.

Clear and deep golden, filtered and pasteurized for extended shelf life. The lacing and head retention of this lager is quite amazing as it leaves a massive crowning ring on the glass and several rings further down. Clean, spicy herbal hop aroma with a graininess that is of fresh cut grass. Very smooth and crisp with a moderately-sized body. Sweet maltiness with biscuity and dried hay flavors. Bitterness from the hops helps to balance the small amount of malt sweetness that is present and goes a bit further with a pleasant spicy herbal note. Finishes dry with a faint metallic taste which is no doubt a by-product of the pasteurization.

A shell of its former self: globalization, growth and popularity all have their drawbacks, and you can see it in today's PU. Processed and overly clean compared to years past, yet still worth a try if you have not tried it before. (1,066 characters)